Friday, April 6, 2012

F is for...

Fun with yourFamily. Cheesy? OK, maybe so. But in this day and age where we spend more time at the office than with our spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend/kid(s), scheduling quality moments with those people who are supposed to be at the tippy-top of our Important! list winds up on the back burner.

So, how are you supposed to fit all this alleged "fun time" into your day planner? Try these steps:

1. Plan. Decide, as a family, what you want to do, then map out your game. Hit up MapQuest, search the net and/or library for places you want to see most, make reservations. Oh, and make certain the tank is full before you head out!

2. Make Sure It's Fun. And make sure everyone in your family has a voice, expressing what "fun" means to them. If you can't afford big stuff like Disney World or a Carnival Cruise, make a list of possibilities ahead of time. You might be surprised by some of the areas in your own state or the state next door. Close to us in Northern Louisiana? Beautiful Natchitoches, LA or Jefferson, TX.

3. Get Rid of that Modern Technology. Let's say you just want some quality family time, without having to plan a trip. OK, then! First step to achieving your goal is to turn of the TV, video games, and, yes, the computer. Smart phones, too! No texting! In turn, pull out a deck of cards, a board game, or figure out a new family game. Throw some cookies in the oven, a bag of popcorn in the microwave, and you're good to go! Some of our favorites: Monopoly DEAL Card Game, Mille Bornes, and CLUE.

4. Make it Important. Yeah, it's difficult. Work calls, house needs cleaning, dogs need a bath, etc. But your family is your family. And time together is extremely important, especially if you have kids. When they grow up, they'll remember these special moments, the fact that you took quality time to spend together as a family. End result? When finally they have a family of their own, they'll start the process all over again, build their own memories. How cool is that? :)

7 comments

Any advice for teenagers?? To which setting aside her smartphone would be anathema! Ah well, she never turns down shopping or a movie! (and would you believe it's a fight to get her to turn off the phone even during a movie? She texts UNDERNEATH her shirt so the light doesn't bother other people! (Okay, I have to admit, the lengths she'll go to make me smile) I'm a visiting A-Z blogger.

When my kids were little, every evening we had playtime. The first 20 minutes was devoted to one child's choice, the next 20 minutes to the other's. Yes, that meant my son had to play Barbies with his sister, and in turn, she had to play army guys with him, (and so did Mom and Dad!) but I really think this is a huge reason why, now, as teenagers, they are still great friends.

Now days, we eat dinner together nearly every night, we set aside time to watch our favorite show, and we go adventuring in Seattle. The kids love Seattle, and even just walking around the city makes them happy.

Good point made here about having fun with family. I don't spend quality time with my family. Frankly, I have no interest in doing so most of the time and other times, I just don't make the effort in doing so since it would involve traveling and I'm impatient.

My immediate family, however, often invites me to have a "game night" with them. Those are usually fun, depending on what we're playing.

We had a little Wii competition once. I lost that one twice...once to a 20 year-old girl and then to a five year-old kid, lol.